Events Calendar

Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
“The” international event in Healthcare Social Media, Mobile Apps, & Web 2.0
2015-06-04 - 2015-06-05    
All Day
What is Doctors 2.0™ & You? The fifth edition of the must-attend annual healthcare social media conference will take place in Paris;  it is the [...]
5th International Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Health & Safety
2015-06-06 - 2015-07-07    
All Day
Occupational Health 2016 welcomes attendees, presenters, and exhibitors from all over the world to Toronto, Canada. We are delighted to invite you all to attend [...]
National Healthcare Innovation Summit 2015
2015-06-15 - 2015-06-17    
All Day
The Leading Forum on Fast-Tracking Transformation to Achieve the Triple Aim Innovative leaders from across the health sector shared proven and real-world approaches, first-hand experiences [...]
Health IT Summit in Washington, DC
2015-06-16 - 2015-06-17    
All Day
The 2014 iHT2 Health IT Summit in Washington DC will bring together over 200 C-level, physician, practice management and IT decision-makers from North America's leading provider organizations and [...]
Events on 2015-06-15
Events on 2015-06-16
Health IT Summit in Washington, DC
16 Jun 15
Washington DC
Articles

How the Tech World is Going Green with Solar Power

solar energy

How the Tech World is Going Green with Solar Power

The Earth has been going through dramatic changes when it comes to climate change ever since the Industrial Revolution. This is because humans have invented many new technologies over the centuries that rely on fossil fuels to operate. Sadly, this is slowly killing our planet. One of the best things humans can do to heal the Earth is to use fewer fossil fuels and turn to renewable energy sources. One of the best sources of renewable energy is solar power. Below are some of the ways the tech world, and even the average person, can use solar power to go green and reduce their carbon footprint.

Panels

Solar panels are one of the best-known pieces of solar energy. So, how can tech companies or households use solar panels to go green? One of the best things to do is to place solar panels on the roof of the building. Solar panels can be placed on both flat and slanted roofs. This keeps the panels in a place where they cannot be easily obstructed by plants or building shadows.

Does using solar panels have other benefits besides lowering a family or company’s carbon footprint? Using solar panels can also help to save money on electricity bills. This could mean up to total electrical coverage for homes and major savings on bills for technology companies.

However, it is important to note that there will be a higher up-front cost to buy and install the solar panels. Because of this, families and companies might need to save up money before they are able to afford the solar panels. When buying solar panels, make sure to ask the retailer if they have any deals that will bundle the cost of the actual solar panel with the installation price. Could you save money by installing the panels yourself? Of course! However, if you do not have any mechanical skills, it is best not to attempt this. The last thing you want to do is install a solar panel in such a way that it does not function correctly, break a solar panel, or even end up hurting yourself.

Once the solar panels are installed, it is time to sit back and watch the savings roll in. How much money will be saved each month will depend on a few factors. One of the biggest factors is simply how many solar panels are installed (the more solar panels, the better the savings). The weather will also have an influence. Sunnier days will provide more solar power. To dissolve a common myth, customers and companies should know that solar panels do work in the winter. The temperature has little to do with the amount of sunlight the panels can take in.

Batteries

Sometimes, solar panels will produce more green electricity than a home or business needs. When this happens, there are generally two options the solar panel owners can choose from to deal with their excess electricity. The first possibility is to store the electricity in a solar battery. The second way is to sell the electricity back to your local electrical company. Any home or business that uses solar panels can also use solar batteries. However, the local electricity company will determine whether or not you can sell excess electricity back or not. Homes are also more likely to produce excess electricity than technology companies, simply because technology companies tend to need more electricity to function.

Another bonus of using a solar battery is that the power stored in the battery can be accessed at any time, including during power outages. In a way, a solar battery functions as a backup generator. Power stored in the battery can also be used in months where a home or company needs to use more electricity than the solar panels recently produced. This can be especially helpful during cloudy months, especially in the spring and autumn.
If your family or business wants to go green, then using solar energy is a great option. It can both reduce the cost of electricity bills and the size of a carbon footprint!